Move for America is a new initiative designed to preserve and celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Minnesota by fostering intercultural exchange and education. It will consist of a direct exchange program involving students from community and technical colleges in Minneapolis and Saint Paul (urban centers) and two rural counties: Otter Tail County and Lyon County. This project includes two full exchanges, each with 30-40 participants over two weekends.
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline protection projects. For the fiscal year 2012, BWSR awarded 13 local governments with funds to complete 143 projects. More information is available in the detail reports below.
The Camp Ripley ACUB Phase VI project protected almost 1070 acres of high quality habitat along the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers and near the Nokasippi and Gull River WMAs through approximately 14 conservation easements.
Phase VIII of the RIM Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape ACUB Partnership utilized permanent RIM conservation easements to acquire 1,755-acres of high quality habitat within the ACUB work area. We secured 7 easements including the two one contiguous block but done as two easements for legal reasons) Cushing Land Company easements that totaled 1,464 acres. In total one of the largest RIM easements ever acquired.
The Camp Ripley ACUB Phase VII project protected 598.2 acres of high quality habitat along the Crow Wing, Gull, Nokasippi, and Mississippi River corridors through nine conservation easements.
The project protect approximately 1090 acres of habitat for fish, game and wildlife with easements along the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers and tributaries. Protection will reduce infringement and development and improve watershed function.
While aspen is one of the most dominant forest types, predicted future conditions will negatively impact aspen growth. Increasing tree diversity can provide increase ecological and economic resilience.
The goal of this project is to use a science-based and participatory approach to understanding and promoting conservation practices in the agricultural community.
Revitalizing the old deer yards into Caribou Yards is a transformative initiative aimed at creating habitats for a herd of caribou. The need for this project arises from the closure of the old deer yards, which were previously inhabited by white-tailed deer until the last one passed away of old age. Subsequently, the fencing surrounding these three habitats has weathered and suffered damage during the years of inoccupancy.
To remodel an existing commercial building to be established as the Pillager Arts Center. The Pillager Arts Center will be an epicenter for arts education for the community and serve as a space where people can interact with other creative minds.
To update and enhance cultural heritage exhibits at the Cass County Fair. Projects will include brightening display areas, installing speakers, and removing outdated displays to replace with new exhibits of art and cultural artifacts from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwa and other pieces relating to regional heritage.
This 3-part project is developing and installing shoreline buffer projects on Ten Mile Lake, and the Roosevelt, Lawrence, Leavitt Lake area (RALALA).An additional part will correct roadway erosion contributing to sedimentation and water quality degradation on Buxton Road between McKeowen and Mann Lakes. Woodrow Township will work with Cass County SWCD/ESD and adjacent landowners to construct sedimentation basins and rain gardens and restructure the roadbed by reducing the slope to eliminate erosion and sedimentation.
This monitoring project includes lake and stream monitoring and encompasses all of Cass County, and surrounding counties. The project will obtain water quality data for streams; in 2009, lakeshed assessments indicated that many surface waters throughout the county were data deficient. This project will address the need for sufficient data on a county-wide basis and fulfill the State’s intensive watershed monitoring program goals by obtaining water quality data at targeted lake and stream sites.
This project will include lake and stream monitoring on 23 lakes and 4 streams found within the Leech Lake River and Pine River watersheds in Cass County. The project will be conducted in an effort to gain sufficient data on these data-deficient lake and stream sites within these watersheds. All of the proposed monitoring sites are target sites located in the targeted watersheds for 2012. Cass ESD is partnering with Hubbard SWCD, the Leech Lake Band of Objibwe, and RMB Environmental Laboratories to conduct the fieldwork for this project.
The Children's Discovery Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota aims to strengthen its highly successful School Service Program by retaining a Program development coordinator, changing core interactive exhibits and creating new curriculum for pre-school and K - 5 students in ten northern Minnesota counties.
The Children's Discovery Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota will strengthen its acclaimed school service program by: (1) continued leadership of a new Program Director retained on January 1, 2016 (2) creating a new (Minnesota built) core interactive exhibit; (3) developing new curriculum for pre-school through 3rd grade students in ten northern Minnesota counties.
The LeSueur River has been identified as one of the leading contributors of sediment to the Minnesota River. A majority of this sediment has been determined to come from the banks, bluffs and ravines located along the river. This project focuses on a one mile reach of the LeSueur River where stream channel migration and mass wasting are significantly eroding four bluffs. Two township roads and many houses are in danger of falling into the river.
Pileated Woodpeckers are keystone habitat modifiers that support an array of game, non-game, and conservation concern species. Additional information is needed to understand cavity dynamics for these species.
The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) will build upon a strong foundation of Minnesota Arts, Culture and Heritage (ACH) learning experiences made possible with prior MN Legacy funding support to:
As an established Children's Museum, it is time to re-evaluate our policies, programs, displays, & activities. There will be financial support (scholarships) for classroom/community field trips and bussing which will allow children of all abilities and ethnicities to have a museum experience. Data and suggestions collected from the teachers or adult chaperones will be shared with the Grant Committee and Advisory Board for their work.
This project will support new exhibit components and enhancements, provide admissions and transportation to underserved and diverse communities, and teacher-led programs for children that are sensory sensitive, in relationship with Autism Society of Minnesota.
To implement a self-guided walking tour of the city of Pine River, Heritage Group North Inc. purchased thirteen kiosk displays and installed them at various historic building sites. Each kiosk, made of recycled plastic, displays historic information and photographs from an earlier period. In addition to the kiosks, a tri-fold brochure was designed showing the locations of the walking tour. They are available at the Pine River Chamber Information Center. The walking tour serves to remind residents and visitors of the inherent history to be found in many of the city's structures.
The nine member Counties and Soil and Water Conservation Districts of the Greater Blue Earth River Basin Alliance (GBERBA) will be able to enhance our effectiveness to provide elevated levels of technical assistance, education and outreach in the areas of urban stormwater, wellhead protection, nutrient management, conservation agronomy, drainage and agricultural best management practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the Blue Earth, Le Sueur and Watonwan River Watersheds.
Rising temperatures and increased precipitation contribute to decreased oxygen and increased methane in Minnesota lakes and wetlands. We will identify impacts on water quality and methane emissions, providing management guidance.
This project builds partnerships among natural resource professionals, college, middle and high schools to work collaboratively to increase youth exposure to outdoor experiences, environmental issues, and natural resource career paths.
